Twenty years ago, elected representatives of functional constituency organisations representing commerce, industry, law and other important aspects of our economic and social life were first introduced into the Legislative Council. Now the government has proposed that in 2007 an additional five seats in Legco should be elected by the directly elected and appointed members of the district councils.
This has met with opposition because the proposals include allowing district councillors appointed by the chief executive to take part in the election of these five additional representatives. There are objections, too, because there is no timetable for ridding Legco entirely of functional constituency representatives and for introducing the universal suffrage promised by the Basic Law.
Progress towards this objective has to take place in a gradual and orderly manner. There is no disagreement about this but, to be certain, it is wise to proceed one step at a time. The five-seat proposals by the government are certainly gradual and cautious, but they are more than that. They open the narrow composition of the functional constituencies to a wider popular representation.
This is a subtle but significant departure from the original concept of functional constituencies as representing organisations and associations. It is a step on the road to universal suffrage. These five representatives are a departure from the norm, on which future changes can be built.
The Business and Professionals Federation has proposed the introduction of a two-chamber system for Legco. The 2007 initiative of the government, whether deliberately or not, fits nicely with this proposal. Our proposal is that the two halves of the council should be separated into a first and a second chamber, rather than the present two types of representatives sitting in one chamber. The importance of the functional constituency representatives has always been to act as a check and balance to the directly elected half.
Elected second chambers in a bicameral system apply a check to the work of the first chamber, correct mistakes and oversights in the drafting of legislation, and exert a steadying influence on policies and motions conceived in the first chamber. This allows time for second thoughts and to admit wider community involvement.
In a bicameral system, a numerical balance between the two chambers is no longer necessary: the check and balance is achieved by the powers given to the second chamber, and by the fact that it represents different geographical areas and has a different method of election.